Saturday, March 03, 2012

Justice Department Cracking Down on Florida Voter Suppression

Finally.

Florida’s voter suppression law goes way beyond the assembly-line Voter I.D. laws that are being passed in lockstep by the red states. At least with these Voter I.D. laws, conservatives can pretend they’re cracking down on the non-existent problem of “voter fraud.”

But according to Florida’s teatard legislature and governor, voter registration drives are the REAL threat to America. Oh, and early voting too. How could registering voters — and giving voters a chance to vote early — possibly encourage voter fraud???

If you listen to rightwing demagogues, there’s apparently no greater threat to America’s moral fiber than the League of Women Voters. Under Florida’s “Don’t Let the Peons Vote” law, anyone conducting a voter registration drive is required to: 1) get permission from the state; and 2) turn in each voter registration card within 48 hours after the voter has filled it out.

Maybe this is a dumb question, but what are some of the dangers to our democracy if a voter registration card isn’t turned in within 48 hours? The League of Women Voters has stopped their voter registration drives, out of fear of being fined for “violations.”

The Colbert Report was joking about Florida’s “Stop The Vote” law the other night.

The League of Women Voters, the Brennan Center and Rock The Vote are all fighting this law in court. The president of Rock The Vote said the law would “prevent organizations like Rock the Vote from educating and engaging young people in our political process and go against the very principles our country was founded on.”

Come on Justice Department — don’t let Florida turn the clock back to the 1950s.

6 Comments:

Wasn't is Florida in the 2000 Election that sent letters to Black residents warning them that they couldn't vote as convicted felons and none of them turned out to be felons - Florida never checked and said "Oops"?